the gastroscopy but I've become even more intolerant as a result. I've been glutened twice in 2 months and suffer a really bad backache immediately as well as the usual fatigue. I come from a family of Coeliacs who persuaded me to take up the challenge but I fear I've done myself a great deal of damage by doing this (barbaric) test and am really quite worried.

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It's a real shame there isn't more research on the rectal challenge (I think it's Barts that uses it?) since that doesn't require gut involvement from eating, produces only very localised inflammation and takes only a day.

It's inhumane that the NHS protocol requires us to artificially develop the end stage of a disease to prove a diagnosis when CD could be detectable at an earlier stage. How many early deaths have they needlessly caused by this approach, forcing coeliacs to make themselves iller than they need to be to prove a point?

Especially when there's a clear family history!

Maybe this is something Coeliac UK could lobby parliament on, if they can get the evidence together.

Thanks for your reply Dartmoor Guerilla. I appreciate your information and will take it with me when I next see my Consultant which is soon. Sorry for the delay but have been back at work, since I could walk again, for the good ole' NHS. Thank goodness for these forums as you can pick up so much more information which the Doctors are not willing to impart.

I never did a challenge or remain eating wheat or gluten once I first saw the gastro consultant. My diet started 8 weeks prior to the Endoscopy/biopsies and still achieved a positive result. I received the official result 12 weeks after starting my diet and sadly another health issue got worse once I followed the "Gluten Free" diet, I reacted to one of the ingredients which helped another diagnosis.